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British Airways cuts Club World meal service for departures after 9pm

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Yesterday we covered the bizarre new breakfast / brunch service that British Airways is serving for lunch on long haul flights departing up to 11.29am.

It pairs a cooked breakfast with wine, a cheeseboard, coffee and liqueurs. Those who have tried it are finding it as odd as it sounds.

On the upside, you are at least still getting a three course meal of sorts. This is no longer the case for Club World departures after 9pm.

BA cuts Club World meal service for departures after 9pm

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I mention this because, about 20 years ago, British Airways launched something called ‘Sleeper Service’. It stripped down the Club World business class food service to the bare minimum, on the grounds that most people wanted to sleep on overnight flights and those who didn’t could starve. It was a failure, launching the catchphrase ‘To Fly, To Starve’ and was abandoned. This is despite the fact that it only operated from airports where BA had pre-flight lounge dining.

Multiple rounds of staff departures at British Airways later, everyone who remembers the failure of ‘Sleeper Service’ seems to have left and a version of it is back. This time it is on virtually all routes, irrespective of whether the lounge offers a full meal.

What is now served on Club World departures after 9pm?

The menu has been pared back sharply:

  • appetisers have been scrapped
  • main courses and desserts are massively simplified

Here is an example menu currently in use:

Main courses

  • Butternut squash and coconut soup
  • Grilled tiger prawn salad
  • Chicken and leek pie
  • Cheese and crackers

Dessert

  • Panna cotta
  • Fruit salad
  • Chocolate chip cookies

…. and that’s it.

Bizarrely the menu says at the top:

“Take your pick from an assortment of seasonal dishes. If you’re feeling tired and can’t wait to cosy down, then just choose your main and dessert and a night cap of your choice”.

However, you have no option but to have just a main and dessert because that’s all there is! The appetisers are gone.

This new service has been rolled out on virtually all long-haul routes. The only exceptions are 12+ hour flights. It is, apparently, being used on Cape Town and Mauritius which are over 11 hours.

The airline argues that a ‘one tray’ meal service will allow passengers to get to sleep more quickly. The problem is that British Airways ALREADY offered a stripped down ‘one tray’ option on late night Club World flights. Those who wanted to eat and sleep could have the ‘one tray’ meal whilst those who didn’t could – until last week – have the standard full menu.

It isn’t clear what is offered in First Class. I believe that the menu has also been cut back but bears more resemblance to a proper meal.

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Comments (486)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Dubious says:
    22 Oct22 October 06:12

    Cue another busy day of comments!

    • The Urbanite says:
      22 Oct22 October 06:19

      Expect at least 400 by the end of the day 😂

      Does this mean we will get more “Pre-flight supper” offerings? Quite enjoyed that at JFK!

  • Wotsit says:
    22 Oct22 October 06:20

    “Duck’s off. Sorry”

    • Holgs says:
      22 Oct22 October 08:03

      This made me giggle… it’s so true though, looks like BA has turned into the Fawlty Towers of the sky…

      Not looking forward to the old CW seat on the A380 to JHB tonight. Let’s hope I find some food in the lounge or do we need to cook ourselves soon as well…

      • AJA says:
        22 Oct22 October 08:55

        A while ago there was a fantastic thread over on FlyerTalk about someone wanting to plug in a hotdog cooking machine into the in seat power in CW. Never worked out whether it was a wind up or whether they were actually serious. I can see that sort of thread kicking off again in response to this new initiative. 😬

        • Dubious says:
          22 Oct22 October 10:47

          Good idea, time to pack a rice cooker in my carry on!

        • FatherOfFour says:
          22 Oct22 October 11:17

          Yeah, I remember the thread well.
          Give me 10 minutes use of a microwave/oven. There are some good home-prepped frozen meals out there.

          • HampshireHog says:
            22 Oct22 October 12:06

            Now a self service microwave in the Club Kitchen ain’t a bad idea

  • TimM says:
    22 Oct22 October 06:22

    On my 23:55 Iberia flight Madrid – Sao Paulo, there was a swift one-tray meal and then drinks service as soon as the seat belt signs went off then the lights were dimmed and that was it until 30 mins before landing (I am too tall to be able to move in Iberia’s ‘coffin seat’). On an 11 hour flight, I thought it poor value of my business class ticket. No doubt I could have troubled the crew for something else but the mood music was certainly not to.

    • david says:
      22 Oct22 October 06:44

      If you needed anything you can either get up or call them with the button. Plus I am bemused as to what you expected on a 23:55 service? unless your using a 12 hour clock.

      • PeteM says:
        22 Oct22 October 07:32

        Surely you’d have had dinner at the table service restaurant in the lounge and just wanted sleep by that point? 🙂

        • TimM says:
          22 Oct22 October 09:27

          Sadly not. We had to transfer terminals at Madrid and my mother’s need for special assistance meant a very lengthy transfer – mostly waiting around between several ‘handovers’. So our 4 hours were reduced to around 90 minutes and with the early pickup from the lounge to wait at the gate meant there was just time for a glass of wine, no meal.

    • JDB says:
      22 Oct22 October 07:36

      I’m not sure what you really expected? Even in Madrid, people have eaten by 00.30 and the lounge offers a proper dining service. The food is such a tiny part of the overall flight experience and IB’s style/method seems eminently sensible and well thought out for most passengers. Many of the IB midnight departure routes also have other time options if you don’t like their bed/food service.

  • SK says:
    22 Oct22 October 06:26

    BA Club world food is not great in any case, esp. their greasy breakfast, my local cafe could do better than that, no love lost there, stopped flying BA 4 years ago after I was starved on the biz club on a flight to Mexico City, no snacks stored on the flights they said due to Covid, so I said goodbye since then

  • Eshaq Choudhury says:
    22 Oct22 October 06:27

    Anyone know what they will serve on a 9.30pm departure from LHR to DXB in economy? Just thinking is it worth me eating before boarding or not.

  • Paul says:
    22 Oct22 October 06:31

    Whatever you think of this BA are only doing it because they can! There is almost no downside for BA. The real issue is the revenue sharing agreements that they and VS enjoy with multiple partners that reduce competition and consumer choice.
    This lack of choice goes way beyond just what flight you take but also limits the choice of credit cards (there is no AA card or indeed DL card)
    Nothing will improve until they are forced to compete.

    • Can says:
      22 Oct22 October 06:41

      This isn’t even capitalism— no fair competition, revenue sharing…

      Let them run wild, cut in services.

    • Dubious says:
      22 Oct22 October 06:42

      “Whatever you think of this BA are only doing it because they can!”
      It feels like they follow a standard process of balancing out every improvement with a cut.

      BA: We are investing in new catering. We have a new contracted with award winning caters Do&Co…

      Potential Customer: Oh good, but unfortunately your seats are very mediocre…

      BA: We’ve listened…we are investing in new seats – see our new Club World Club Suite…
      the roll-out will take some time…

      Potential Customer: Oh good!

      BA: Glad you’re happy… now we will cut back on the catering…

  • Phill says:
    22 Oct22 October 06:33

    What are they thinking? I’ve had the chicken ‘pie’ twice, and it was laughable both times. Second time it had no filling, and I mean zero. This will not go down well with regular punters. For me, I rarely know until I board whether I want to eat (a lot) or not (cheese and a drink). Not to have the option is a mistake on long haul.

  • NicktheGreek says:
    22 Oct22 October 06:39

    So now those of us running around with avios to spend not only need to find any seats, but those coveted seats between 11.30 and 2059, where there’s a chance a proper (albeit perhaps not decent) meal will be served. How fun!

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